Process of treating coal.



. WTED grams PATENT. curios.

OHABLESHOWARD SMITH, SHORT HILLS, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR T0 INTER- NA'IIONAL GOAL PRODUCTS CORPORATION, OF RICHMOND, VIRGINIA, ACORPO- narIoN or VIRGINIA.

rnoonss or TREATING COAL.

\ Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Au 20, 1918.

Application filed Janna?! 81, 1916. Serial No. 7 5,288.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES HOWARD SMITH, a citizen of the United States, and,

a. resident of Short Hills, in the State of New Jersey, have invented a new and Im- I proved Process of Treating Goal, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a new, and usefulcontaining partially-distilled coal. The incally in said drawing.

- crusher of the usual type ada ted to crush vention is particularly applicable to the processes described in my application Serial No. 51,172 filed September 17, 1915, and in order that the present invention'may be more clear the process set forth in said application willfirst be described in conjunction with the accompanying drawing in which the sole figure (which is a copy of Figure l of the drawings forming a part of said application with the exception that there has .been added the exhauster indicated by X and the piping 1) leading to said exhauster X) represents an apparatus comprising a single oven for heating the fuel being treated. The apparatus and the various steps of said process are illustrated diagrammati- Referring to said figure, represents a or pulverize coal. A hopper is provided with suitable means, such as a screw feeder,

for conveying the coal A from the crusher to the oven F located within the furnace D. The furnace D is provided with means, such as fiues E, in which are located suitable gas and hot air burners, for heating the oven F. Theoven F is provided with a mixer G located therein, the oven and the mixer'being so constructed and arranged that the crushed coal in the oven will be uniformly.

heated throughout. The oven F is connected with a cooler I by the feeder H, and is so arranged and constructed that as the heated coal passes from the oven 'F through the feederH to the cooler I, it will undergo partial compression.

The cooler I is connected to the brlquetlng press J which is provided with a suitable cooling apparatus, utilizing either air or water for that purpose. As the heated material passes through thebriqueting press it' p an exhauster L connected to the oven F.

The oven F should be preferably provided with a centrally-located dome or riser, which is connected With the exhauster L so that as the coal in the oven is subjected to gradually increasing temperatures the various gases and vapors developed at the lower temperatures are swept out by the further evolution of gases and Vapors produced at only higher temperatures, whereby the procedure may be carried out in a continuous process.

The gaseous products and vapors which are givenoff during the heating of the coal in the oven F are drawn off by the exhauster L and are then separated by the usual condensing and distillation processes, well known to those skilled in the art, into resulting by-products including tar and oil products M, ammonia N, benzene and homo logues O, heating gas P, and commercial or illuminating gas R. The heating gas P is preferably utilized for heating the oven F. In carrying out said process, the coal A is first crushed or pulverized in the crusher B. From this crusher the pulverized coal is fed through the hopper C to the oven F in the furnace D. By means of the mixer G contained. in the oven F, the coal is uniformly heated throughout. The heating is first at a relatively lowtemperature in order to expel the air, and any gases and vapors air, moisture, gases and vapors being removed by means of the exhauster L. The heating is then continued to a higher temperature so as to produce in a state of vapor or gas other substances in the coal which do not pass to the state of vapor or gas at the lower temperatures, and to utilize these additional vapors and gases, which are likewise removed by the exhauster' L, to dilute and wash out. the gasesand vapors produced at the lower temperatures. That is, bythe process described in said application the temperature of the coal is raised progres-'- sively as it passes through the oven, thereby making it possible to utiliz the prop es of these additional vapors and gases to (l lute and wash out the vapors and gases produced at the lower temperatures.

In performing said process the amount of heat applied to the coal during'the period of its application must be less than the amount required for ultimate destructive distillation in the same period.

The required amount of heating will depend upon the character of the coal treated for the reason that different coals must be heated to varying degrees of temperature in order to secure the desired results.

The gases and vapors which are given offwhile the coal is being treated are rich in hydrocarbons. These gases and vapors are drawn oil from the oven by the exhauster L and are then separated by the usual condens-. ing and distillation processes into gas for illuminating and heating purposes and into tar and oil products, ammonia and other byproducts.

After the coal has been properly heated it is conveyed by the feeder H to the cooler I and during this period of translation the heated material undergoes a partial compression in order to exclude some of the entrained gases and prevent the occlusion of air when the mass is exposed to the air.

The function of the cooler I is to further lower the temperature of the residual mass after it has undergone partial compression and before it is subjected to the final com- PIBSSIOIL.

From the cooler I the residual mass passes to the briqueting press J where it'is subjected to the final compression and at the same time properly cooled or chilled so that the resulting briquets K will be sufficiently hard in structure for commercial shipment or use. 7

Passing now from the process described in said application to the invention which is the subject and basis of'thepresent applica-] tion, I desire to point out that in the production of briquets composed of partially-distilled coal I have found that one of the chief difiiculties to be overcome in producing a satisfactory briquet is the elimination or control of the gases entrained in the briqueted material. If the entrained gases are not eliminated by being removed from the material, they may expand within the briquet after the same has come from the press so that the briquet will either become distorted or there will be such internal strains set up Within it as to either rupture the briquet or make it very fragile thereby making the briquet less valuable or useless for commercial purposes.

According to my present invention I overcome this difliculty by subjecting the heated coal, after it has come from the retort or oven to a pressure less than atmosphere, that is, to a partial vacuum so as to withdraw as 1,278,4lhd

far1 aspossible any gases entrained in the coa gases 1 secure a briqu'et that will be hard and dense and in which the internal strains are reduced to a minimum.

Carrying out my invention I preferably employ the process above described, and in addition thereto 1 subject the heated partially-distilled coal or the coal residue as it may be called after it has passed from the oven or retort to a pressure less than atmosphere or to a partial vacuum either before, during or after the preliminary or partial compression, if this step of the process be used. To secure the required partial vacuum I employ suitable means, such as an exhauster or pump, connected to any part of the apparatus intermediate of the oven and the briquet press so as to secure therein the required reduced pressure. In other words,

as the heated coal passes from the oven to the press it will not only undergo partial or preliminary compression but will be subjected to the required reduced pressure whereby any gases entrained in the coal will be removed.

. An exhauster for accomplishing the desired -vacuum effect is indicated by X and the piping leading thereto is indicated by 1).

By means of my invention, therefore, I am enabled to produce a briquet that will be hard and dense, and in which the internal strains that may be produced by any gases entrained therein are reduced to a minimum.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

' 1. The process of treating coal, consisting in subjecting coal then removing from said coal, after it has passed from the retort, by partial vacuum gases entrained in said coal, and then molding it into briquets.

2. The herein described process, consisting in subjecting coal to a partial distillation, then removing from said coal, after it has passed from the retort, by partial vacuum gases entrained in said coal, and then molding it into briquets, the coal being heated during the partial distillation to such a temperature that the gases entrained therein would be likely to rupture the ultimate briquet, if at least a portion of said entrained gases is not removed.

3. The process of treating coal,-consisting in first subjecting coal to a partial distillation in a retort, removing the resulting coal residue from said retort and thereafter removing by partial vacuum from said residue gases entrained therein and which gases would be likely to rupture the ultimate briquets if at least a portion of the entrained gases were .not removed, and ultimately molding into briquets the residue from which some of the entrained gases have been removed.

By thus eliminating the entrained to a partial distillation, 7

4. The process of treating coal consisting in first subjecting coal to a heat to effect a partial distillation, the heating being carried to such a temperature that the .gases entrained therein would be likely to rupture a briquet ultimately formed therefrom, if at least a part'of said entrained gases are not subsequently removed, after the heating has terminated removing from said heated coal residue by means of vacuum some of the gases entrained therein and ultimately molding into briquets. r

5. The process of treating coal, consisting in first subjecting coal to a partial distillation, removing the resulting residue from the heat zone, thereafter removing by partial vacuum from said heated coal gases entrained therein, and then molding it into briquets.

6. The process of treating coal consisting in first subjecting heated coal to a partial distillation, then removing, by partial vacuing into briquets coal from which gases have i been removed.

7 In, the manufacture .of briquets the method which consists in subjecting coal to a partial distillation, removing from the re sulting coal residue after it has passed from the heat zone and by means of partial vacuum gases entrained in the coal residue, and finally forming into briquets the residue from which some of the entrained gases have been removed.

This specification signed and witnessed this 28th day of January A. D.,'1916.

CHARLES HOWARD SMITH.

Signed in the presence of W. C. MAReEsoN, G. MoGRANN. 

